Once Yokohama was just a fishing village, but now at the beginning of the Meiji era it's becoming a harbor open to foreign countries and one of the leading trade cities of Japan. As a result, many Japanese products such as copper and raw silk are collected in Yokohama for export to other countries. At the same time, the city is starting to incorporate foreign technology and culture, with even the streets becoming more modernized. In the shadow of this development was the presence of many Yokohama merchants.

I YOKOHAMA är varje spelare en handlare som är verksam under Meiji perioden som försöker skaffa sig ryktbarhet genom framgångsrik handel. För att göra det behöver man bygga affärer, vidga sina handelskontakter, lära sig nya tekniker, och uppfylla handelsorder från utlandet.